Emergency declared in Sudan after Army overthrows President Bashir

Ibnouf also declared a state of emergency in the country for the next three months with the constitution being suspended. He added that elections would be conducted at the end of the transitional period.

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Bashir’s ouster by the Army is considered to be a strong move after four months of nationwide protests failed to do so.(REUTERS File photo/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

Sudan Defence Minister Awad Ibnouf Thursday announced that the country has been placed under Army rule for a period of two years with President Omar al-Bashir, the country’s ruler for 30 years, being ousted from power.

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During the announcement of the removal of the ‘regime’ and detention of its head, Ibnouf was quoted telling news agency AFP, “I announce as minister of defence the toppling of regime and detaining its chief in a secure place.” The defence minister notified that Bashir, who was known for his iron fist rule since he took power in 1989, would be provided a safe haven.

Ibnouf also declared a state of emergency in the country for the next three months with the constitution being suspended. He added that elections would be conducted at the end of the transitional period.

A military officer is carried by the crowd as demonstrators chant slogans and carry their national flags, after Sudan’s Defense Minister Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Auf said that President Omar al-Bashir had been detained “in a safe place” and that a military council would run the country for a two-year transitional period, outside Defence Ministry in Khartoum, Sudan April 11, 2019. (REUTERS/Stringer)

Sudanese airspace would be closed for 24 hours and border crossings would be sealed until further notice, he said after he had apprised the country about the nationwide ceasefire.

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The declaration of the state of emergency comes immediately after intelligence services in the country announced it was freeing all the country’s political detainees. Meanwhile, Russia called for calm in Sudan, expressing hope for bilateral ties between both the countries to not be threatened irrespective of who was in power.

Bashir’s ouster by the Army is considered to be a strong move after four months of nationwide protests failed to do so.